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NSA Collect Gamers' Chats and Deploy Real-Life Agents Into WoW and Second Life

Posted by samzenpus on from the for-the-horde dept.

An anonymous reader writes in with news that some NSA agents were trying to dig up info by joining the horde. "To the National Security Agency analyst writing a briefing to his superiors, the situation was clear: their current surveillance efforts were lacking something. The agency's impressive arsenal of cable taps and sophisticated hacking attacks was not enough. What it really needed was a horde of undercover Orcs. That vision of spycraft sparked a concerted drive by the NSA and its UK sister agency GCHQ to infiltrate the massive communities playing online games, according to secret documents disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.....The agencies, the documents show, have built mass-collection capabilities against the Xbox Live console network, which has more than 48 million players. Real-life agents have been deployed into virtual realms, from those Orc hordes in World of Warcraft to the human avatars of Second Life. There were attempts, too, to recruit potential informants from the games' tech-friendly users."

8 of 293 comments (clear)

  1. Well, of course. by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 5, Funny

    We've read recently that the NSA types are becoming disaffected by their jobs.

    So letting them play WoW on company time will help with that, eh?

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    1. Re:Well, of course. by camperdave · · Score: 3, Funny

      With what a lot of WoW players write, I'm amazed the NSA doesn't sue them for pain and suffering when some poor slob has to look through the stored Barrens chat logs.

      On the bright side, it's a promotion for the guy who used to read Slashdot posts for the NSA.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  2. Sir! Sir! It's an emergency, sir! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We have word that xXxNoScopezN00bKill3rxXx will dip his balls on the President at 21:00!

  3. SecondLife?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Good thing someone is watching over SecondLife. Maybe they can finally get enough data to fully explore the sexual proclivities of furries in an unconstrained environment.

  4. thank goodness by phoenix03 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now the government will know when Stormwind raids will take place.

  5. Great excuse to tell your mum by Bruce66423 · · Score: 5, Funny

    When she complains you're spending all your time in WoW, you can say you're trying to get a job with the NSA...

  6. oh look... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Here's yet another way we can funnel tax payer money to private contractors under the guise of our black budget." Brilliant. I bet he got promoted for this.

  7. Re:Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's the difference between a cow and 9/11? You stop milking a cow after a few years.